The long-running feud between Madison Square Garden (MSG) and former New York Knicks star Charles Oakley has taken another sharp turn. MSG is now demanding $1.5 million in attorney fees, arguing it spent months uncovering Oakley’s alleged destruction of critical text messages tied to his assault and battery lawsuit against the arena.

In a motion filed Wednesday, MSG’s attorneys said Oakley’s legal team “actively impeded” their efforts, forcing the arena to chase false leads and waste resources. The fee request comes just one week after U.S. District Judge Richard J. Sullivan ruled that Oakley acted in “bad faith” by failing to preserve evidence and misleading the court.

Alleged Lies, Misdirection, and a “Wild Goose Chase”

According to MSG, Oakley’s side steered the defense astray from the start. Oakley’s counsel reportedly directed MSG to subpoena Verizon for phone records — only for MSG to later learn Oakley’s provider was AT&T.

“When Oakley was deposed, he lied and claimed to receive only six or seven text messages a day,” MSG wrote, noting that the false testimony forced the court to hold a credibility hearing in December 2024.

MSG said these tactics amounted to deliberate obstruction:

“The few questions they did answer contained blatantly wrong information designed to send MSG on a wild goose chase.”

Origins in a 2017 Knicks Game Incident

The legal saga stems from a 2017 incident at MSG where Oakley was forcibly ejected from a Knicks game. Oakley sued the arena and team owner James Dolan, claiming security used excessive force and threw him to the ground.

After years of back-and-forth between district and appellate courts, MSG moved for summary judgment in May, arguing video evidence undermines Oakley’s narrative. That motion is still pending.

Judge’s Rebuke Clears Way for MSG’s Fee Request

Judge Sullivan concluded that Oakley intentionally destroyed key text messages, which were the only contemporaneous written records of his side of the incident. That finding opened the door for MSG’s current bid to recover legal costs.

“MSG spent considerable time and resources investigating Oakley’s spoliation in the face of Oakley and his counsel’s continued obfuscation, misdirection, and outright lies,” attorneys for the arena argued.

Legal Teams

• For Oakley: Nelson Boxer and Marcelo Triana of Petrillo Klein & Boxer LLP; Douglas Wigdor, Valdi Licul and Katherine Vask of Wigdor LLP.

• For MSG: Not listed in the filing.

Attorneys for Oakley did not immediately respond to requests for comment.